It Happened One Year

1984 Episode 8 - ABC’s November 3rd TV Lineup - T.J. Hooker, The Love Boat, and more!

As has become a yearly tradition, It Happened One Year is taking a look at a single night of programming from the topic's television season, and so it begins with ABC's November 3rd shows! T.J. Hooker, The Love Boat, and the long forgotten Finder of Lost Loves comprised Saturday night entertainment on the Alphabet Network, and Sarah & Joe are there! Listen as they question strange props, guest casting, theme songs, hairdos, Gavin MacLeod's career decisions, Aaron Spelling's thematic empire, Heather Thomas' acting instincts, who the hell Connie Sellecca is, why anyone knows Charo's name, and much much more! 

1984 Episode 7 - Speaker of the House Drama with Tip O’Neill and Kevin McCarthy

Back-to-back It Happened One Year politics?? You bet! Washington D.C. is providing the crazy content and IHOY is channeling it hard through 1984! Sarah & Joe look back at Tip O'Neill's epic run as Speaker in the '70s and '80s, and contrast some of the expectations for the role with how it is managed today. This naturally leads into the current House having no Speaker, the tumultuous mess that unfolded to bring us here, and what might possibly happen next. Along the way, we've got cameos from Nancy Pelosi, Monsieur Thenardier, Norm Petersen, AOC, Matt Gaetz, Frederick Muhlenberg, and Paul Ryan. 

1984 Episode 6 - Vanessa Williams. Lauren Boebert, and the History of Sexy, Sexy Scandals

How well all the covered topics relate to one another is debatable in this lustiest of episodes from It Happened One Year! Ostensibly here to discuss the shameful handling Miss America Vanessa Williams received in 1984 over the publishing of old nude photos, Sarah & Joe pivot into the many and varied scandals enveloping politicians and celebrities thanks to their uncontained urges - with cameos along the way from everyone from Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and Bill Clinton to Rob Lowe, Hugh Grant, and the many notable men who impregnated their nannies - before landing at the real reason for this episode, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert's recent attendance at a production of Beetlejuice: The Musical. This one is decidedly not family friendly, despite all the Harry Belafonte musical fun!

1984 Episode 5 - Splash! The Tom Hanks-John Candy Mermaid Classic!

So when she's on land, she just HAS legs?? This is the main conundrum tackled in It Happened One Year's most riparian of episodes - a discussion of Ron Howard's Oscar nominated mermaid comedy Splash! Sarah & Joe take up the task of deducing mermaid lore on film (if there is any) and compare that to the freewheeling creativity on display. Along the way they dive into the bizarro made-for-TV sequel, Splash Too!, the mirrored plot elements of Free Willy and that one episode of The Boys, weathering cameos from the likes of Jason James Richter, Barbenheimer, Mel Brooks, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Amy Yasbeck, Barney Martin, and a very brief impression of Carla's son Anthony on Cheers. 

1984 Episode 4 - Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous

Unexpected twists and turns abound in what nominally is an It Happened One Year dedicated to the long-running syndicated phenomenon that was Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous, premiering in 1984! Sarah & Joe discuss their foggy memories of the show and how that compares to a modern rewatch, then sidetrack wildly into why these sort of shows are popular, modern reality television that sprung from this concept, reality TV figures who most resemble Robin Leach today, and the worst cities they've ever visited, for some reason. It makes sense in real time!

1984 Episode 3 - The Death of Liberty (Gerald Ford’s Dog) and Goodbye Djakarta (Jim)

Not ones to shy away from a good eulogy, It Happened One Year makes a rare foray into the animal kingdom, by way of commemorating the lives of some trailblazing creatures! From American "monkeynaut" Miss Baker to Kansas zoo orangutan legend Djakarta Jim to Liberty and the many critters frequently spotted on the White House lawn, Sarah and Joe dig deep to find the bones buried in these tales of furry friends lost in 1984. 

1984 Episode 2 - The Midnight Ride of the Baltimore Colts, plus Payton Beats Brown!

Football is upon us once again, and It Happened One Year is getting flagged for excessive celebration, as per usual! Sarah & Joe make their yearly predictions for 2023 NFL outcomes, but only after taking a look at two big events from 1984's football season - Walter Payton becoming the all-time leading rusher, and the events surrounding the Baltimore Colts hightailing it out of Maryland in the middle of the night. Along the way, there is much discussion about the Chicago Bears potentially moving to the suburbs, why the rushing record may never be broken again, how many times Sarah will go all-in predicting Buffalo to hoist the Lombardi, and how much mileage Joe can get out of correctly picking the Chiefs to win last year. It's almost time for kick-off! Get those pizza rolls cooking!

Season Three Begins! 1984 Episode 1 - Michael Jackson’s No Good, Very Bad Year

We're doing it again! It Happened One Year is back, now covering the pivotal political and pop culture period of 1984! First up, Sarah & Joe take a look at arguably the biggest star of the decade, Michael Jackson, and the many perils and pitfalls he faced in '84. The laborious Jackson 5/The Jacksons tour surrounding their latest album Victory serves as the backbone, and along the way attention is paid to the infamous Pepsi commercial that derailed the Gloved One's life, the infighting that finally ended the family band, how these events led to the New England Patriots eventually being sold, and how Michael's complicated legacy resonates in the modern day. 

Coming Soon! It Happened One Year, Season Three!

You guessed it - we're doing it again! Join Sarah & Joe for a third trip into the past, looking at the events big and small, famed and forgotten from a new subject year! There'll be sports and politics! Movies and sweet jams! Cool fashions and dumb haircuts! New episodes arrive starting in August!

The One-Hundredth Episode

After twenty-six months spent taking extended looks at 1994 and 1967, It Happened One Year has finally reached its milestone 100th Episode! Hosts Sarah & Joe navigate this sort-of retrospective look at the show, by way of roping in many friends of the podcast and Baseball Humbug/Visitors to Nova Scotia veterans to hang out, play trivia games, cover overlooked corners of the subject years, and make ballsy predictions for the future! Listen as ReconCinemation hosts Jon Deiner and David Munchak breakdown the great film years of '67 & '94! Explore an alternate reality where IHOY: 1923 comes to life from Angie Buonincontro! Delve into the future pitch session for Muppet Speed, led by Nick Perfetto! Question the mechanics of rebooting The Golden Girls, recast with Spice Girls, thanks to Lana Cooper! Marvel at the brazen optimism of Bills fan and unofficial Buffalo mayor Dave Gardon, while sympathizing with the Bears related pessimism of Chicago denizens Sam McChuri and Sean McCann! It's the biggest It Happened One Year yet, closing the door on the first two seasons and signaling the way toward a mind-boggling third trip to the past, coming soon!